Dasher-headlight



4N0 Model W. W. WHITCOMB. DASHER HEADLIGHT.

No. 582,800. Patented May 18, 1897.

I -|%v-NT WWW-1554152. I W W ATTY.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIQE.

\VILLIAM \V. WVHITCOMB, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DASHER-HEADLIG HT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,800, dated May 18,1897.

Application filed November 9, 1896- Serial No. 611,444. (No model.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WHIT- COMB, residing in Brookline, in thecounty of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented anImprovement in Dasher-Headlights, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to headlights of that class known asdasher-lights, which are now commonly attached to the'dasher of electricstreet-railway cars. Electric street-railway cars are now commonlyprovided with a dasher-light which projects in front of the dashersubstantially at its center and is used to illuminate the track androad-bed in front of the car. ally placed upon their dashers above andbelow the headlight the names of the route or destination of the car,which with the dasherlights as now constructed cannot be discerned atall as the car is approaching. Prior to this invention I am aware thatnumerous attempts have been made to provide electricallypropelled carswith some arrangement whereby the destination or route of the car may bemade known to persons on the sidewalk or in the street as the carapproaches, and I am aware that it has been proposed to utilize for thispurpose illuminated signs on top of the car, which take the place of theordinary signs; but so far as I am awarethis method of illuminating thecar has not gone into practice, no doubt owing to the increased cost oflighting, and also on account of electric difficulties which wouldnaturally present themselves.

This invention has for its object to illumi-- nate the dasher itself,preferably both above and below the dasher-light, so that the name orroute on the dasher maybe read by a person on the street or sidewalk asthe car is approaching.

In accordance with this invention the dasher-light is provided with whatI prefer to term a reverse reflector that is,a reflector whichintercepts the rays from the light within the casing containing theelectric or other lamp, and which is attached to the said casing so asto turn or direct the said rays backward against the dasher, preferablyabove Electric-railway cars have usuand below the light-containingcasing. The reflector referred to may be made in various ways, and maybe located both without and within the casing containing the electriclamp, and it is so constructed that it will not interfere with thelighting of the track or road-bed in front of the car. These and otherfeatures of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the endof this specification.

Figure 1 represents in vertical section with the lamp in elevation asufficient portion of one form of a dasher-headlight embodying thisinvention to enable it to be understood. Fig. 2 is a front elevation ofthe dasher-headlight shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3, 4, and partialelevations and sections of modified forms of headlights embodying thisinvention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the dasher of an electricstreet-railway car, which is usually made of a single piece of sheetmetal erected upon the platforms of the car.

The dasher A has attached to it a casing a, of metal, having its rearportion extended through a substantially central opening in the dasher Aand provided with a clampingring a, which is bolted or otherwise firmlysecured to a flange a on the casing, located on the outer side of thedasher A. The casing a is provided with a glass front a which is carriedby a ring d of metal, detachably clamped onto the front end of thecasing a. The casing a contains within it an electric lamp a and areflector of, which projects the rays through the glass front a onto thetrack and road-bed.

The dasher-headlight as thus far described does not form any part of myinvention and is herein disclaimed. In order that the rays of light fromthe lamp a projected by the reflector a may be utilized to illuminatethe dasher A, preferably both above and below the casing a, I haveprovided the headlight with what I prefer to designate as a reversereflector, which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of an annular ringI), curved or otherwise suitably shaped, so as to reflect the rays oflight back against the dasher A. The reflector b, as represented inFigs. 1 and 2 by full lines, is made as an annular band or ring, whichis secured to the outside of the casing a by means of suitable boltsorscrews 1), ex-

tended through arms 6 attached to the rear side of the band or ring andextended over the front end of the casing a. The band or ring Z), whenmade as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with an opening of suflicientlyless diameter than the diameter of the casing a to insure the reflectorintercepting some of the rays of the light projected through the glassfront a but which diameter is not suflieiently small to interfere withthe main body of the light projected through the glass front a onto thetrack. The rays of light intercepted by the reflector b are directedback against the outside of the dasher A, so as to illuminate the sameand render plain the name of the route or destination of the car on thedasher. The name of the route or destination as now commonly practicedextends across the dasher near its top and bot-tom, while the sides areusually left free from lettering, and in some instances it maybe foundsufficientto divide the reflector 1) into two partsnamely, an upper anda lower part.as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, that portion onthe sides of the reflector between the dotted lines being omitted.

I have shown the reverse reflector in Fig. 1 as projecting in front ofthe casing a, butI do not desire to limit my invention to any particularlocation of the reflector b, as it may be placed in other relations tothe light-containing casing.

In Fig. 3 I have represented the reflector b as fitted onto or over thecasing a, and in this instance the casing a is provided with suitableopenings 0, inclining outwardly toward the front of the casin g, so thatthe rays of light passing through these openings may strike thereflector b and be carried back onto the dasher.

In Fig. 4 I have represented the reflector Z) as located within thecasing near its front end, and I have provided the casing with suitableholes or openings 0', which extend rearwardly toward the dasher, so thatthe rays of light intercepted by the reflector b may be directed throughthe openings 0 onto the dasher. I have herein shown my invention asapplied to a dasher-headlight extended into an opening in the dasher, asthis form of headlight is now in general use; but I do not desire tolimit my invention in this respect, as the reflector Z) may be used withheadlights which are attached to the outside of the dasher. Furthermore,I do not desire to limit my invention to the particular form of reversereflector herein shown, but prefer to make the reverse reflector of suchshape that it will not direct the rays of light above the dasher, so asto interfere with the vision of the inotorman.

I prefer to use the reverse reflector, but it may be found sufficient toprovide the body of the light-containing casing with one or moreopenings inclined backward toward the dasher, as shown in Fig. 4, and toclose said openings with ground glass or other translucent material 0such as mica, as shown in Fig. 5.

I claim- 1. The combination with a headlight carried by the dasher of arailway-car, of a reverse reflector attached to and cooperating withsaid headlight to intercept a portion of the rays of light from saidheadlight and reflect them back above the said headlight onto the dasherbut below the top of the dasher, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a headlight carried by the dasher of arailway-car, of a reflector carried bythe headlight and intercepting aportion of the rays of light and reflecting them below the headlightback onto the dasher, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a headlight attached to the dasher of arailway-car, of a reverse reflector consisting of a ring or bandattached to the headlight and cooperating therewith to reflect the lightback over the headlight upon the dasher but below the vision of themotorman, substantially as described.

4. A dasher-headlight for railway-cars consisting of a casing containinga light and provided with an opening in its front to illuminate thetrack and with one or more openings in its body portion rearwardlyinclined to enable a portion of the rays of light from the lamp toilluminate the dasher, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a casing containing a light and provided with anopening in its front to illuminate the roadway, of a reflector attachedto and cooperating with said casing to intercept a portion of the raysof light and reflect the light back over and outside of the top of saidcasing, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a casing containing a light and provided with anopening in its front to illuminate the roadway, of a reflector attachedto and cooperating with said casing to intercept a portion of the raysof light and reflect the light back outside of and around the saidcasing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM \V. \VIIITUOMIJ.

\Vitnesses:

.TAs. II. CHURCHILL, J. MURPHY.

